Obito was the first to recognize the silver-haired figure approaching the training ground.
His eyes widened, and he immediately pushed through the students gathered in front of him.
"It really is you, Kakashi!" Obito shouted, pointing an accusing finger. "You disappeared from the village for months, and now you show up without even greeting me? Is becoming a Chunin really such a big deal?"
Obito planted both hands on his hips, puffing out his chest with exaggerated importance.
"At the very least, you should have reported to the great Obito Uchiha the moment you returned!"
Kakashi stopped several steps away.
He wore a dark-green Konoha flak jacket over black clothing, and the lower half of his face was hidden behind his usual mask. Despite having only recently returned from a mission, there was no visible excitement in his expression. His single exposed eye remained dull and listless.
After staring at Obito for two silent seconds, Kakashi offered his assessment.
"Idiot."
"What did you say?!"
Before Obito could launch into another argument, Kakashi looked past him and swept his gaze over the other students. His eyes paused briefly on Ren, Rin, Kurenai, Asuma, Guy, and several others.
"Is everyone here?" Kakashi asked. "Good. Then I'll begin."
Obito was still muttering complaints, but Rin gently pulled him back before he could interrupt again.
Kakashi took out a thin booklet and opened it.
"Self-introductions shouldn't be necessary. Most of you already know me," he said. "I am here under the Hokage's orders to serve as a special proctor for this year's graduation examination."
The announcement produced a wave of surprised whispers.
"A proctor?" Rin repeated, blinking in confusion.
Kurenai's eyebrows rose as she exchanged glances with the other students. Everyone knew that Kakashi had graduated early and had already been promoted to Chunin. Even so, he was still someone who had entered the academy in the same year as them.
Only a short time ago, Kakashi had sat in the same classrooms and trained on the same fields. Now he had returned wearing a Chunin vest and would be responsible for evaluating whether they were qualified to become shinobi.
The situation felt undeniably strange.
One person, however, did not care in the slightest.
Might Guy pushed his way to the front, his eyes burning with enthusiasm.
"I understand!" Guy declared. "The final examination is a direct challenge against you, isn't it, Kakashi?"
Without waiting for confirmation, he dropped into a fighting stance. A blazing smile spread across his face as he raised one thumb toward his eternal rival.
"Excellent! My Leaf Whirlwind has been waiting for this moment. Let me be the first to challenge you!"
"On what grounds?" Obito immediately protested. "I arrived before you! If anyone gets to fight Kakashi first, it should be me!"
Guy turned toward him, his competitive spirit intensifying.
"Then we shall decide through a contest of youth!"
"Fine! I'm not afraid of you!"
Obito and Guy stepped toward each other, apparently moments away from beginning their own examination.
A vein throbbed on Kakashi's forehead.
"You two idiots, shut up and let me finish!"
The sharp reprimand finally silenced them.
Kakashi exhaled through his nose, then glanced toward the academy's teaching building. His gaze lingered on the rooftop for only an instant before returning to the booklet in his hands.
"This examination will not be a series of individual duels," he explained. "Each class will be divided into two large groups. One group will attack, while the other will defend the raised platform in the center of the field."
He lifted one hand and pointed toward the earthen platform behind him.
"The time limit is fifteen minutes. When time expires, whichever side controls the platform will be declared the winner. Oki-sensei, Himura-sensei, and I will grade each student according to their individual performance, judgment, teamwork, and contribution to the battle."
The students' expressions gradually became more serious.
A large-scale confrontation was completely different from the academy's usual sparring matches. With dozens of students fighting simultaneously, attacks could come from any direction. Personal strength would matter, but awareness, cooperation, and tactical decisions could be just as important.
Kakashi turned another page.
"You may use any method available to you, including ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, ninja tools, and clan techniques. However, intentionally inflicting fatal injuries is forbidden."
His visible eye narrowed.
"If any student encounters a threat they cannot withstand, one of the proctors will intervene. The moment that happens, the rescued student will be eliminated and will lose the right to continue participating."
Excitement rippled through the crowd.
This was no longer a simple classroom assessment. For fifteen minutes, they would be expected to fight like genuine shinobi.
Kakashi raised the booklet.
"I will now announce the teams."
As Kakashi began reading the names, Ren remained silent. His eyes shifted toward the academy building, following the direction Kakashi had looked moments earlier.
Two figures stood on the rooftop.
The afternoon sun was directly behind them, reducing both to dark silhouettes. At this distance, Ren could not distinguish their faces, but one figure possessed a familiar posture and wore robes that stirred loosely in the wind.
One of them was likely Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Third Hokage had personally promised a special reward to the student who ranked first in the graduation examination. If he intended to choose the year's most promising graduate, it made sense that he would observe the final test himself rather than relying entirely on written reports.
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.
Perhaps the second figure was another academy instructor, an Anbu guard, or someone else interested in the results. Whoever it was, their presence confirmed one thing.
This examination was an opportunity.
Ren had spent months carefully controlling how much strength he revealed. He had improved his body, developed his basic techniques, and tested himself against opponents such as Hyūga Hizashi. Until now, however, he had never displayed his full capabilities before Konoha's senior leadership.
Today would be different.
Ren had already decided that he would stand above every other graduate on the field.
Whether this examination had existed in the original timeline or had emerged because of the changes created by his presence no longer mattered. The format suited him perfectly.
This battle would allow him to display power, judgment, and adaptability without appearing reckless. If he performed well enough, he would not merely earn first place.
He would make the Hokage remember his name.
Kakashi continued reading, and the two teams gradually took shape.
Ren and Obito were assigned to the defending side. Rin, meanwhile, was placed among the attackers.
Obito's enthusiasm collapsed the instant he heard the arrangement.
"What? Rin is on the other team?"
He looked between Rin and Kakashi as though expecting someone to correct an obvious mistake. When no correction came, he clenched his fists and forced himself to recover.
"Fine!" Obito declared. "Rin, don't worry. I'll defeat every attacker, take first place, and win the Hokage's reward."
He struck a heroic pose and pointed at himself.
"Then I'll give the reward to you!"
Rin pressed her lips together, clearly trying not to laugh.
"Thank you, Obito," she replied. "That's very generous of you."
Obito beamed, failing to notice the amusement in her eyes.
Rin then turned toward Ren. Her expression became more serious as she tightened the straps around her gloves.
"Ren, Obito, I intend to use everything I've learned," she said. "Even if we're friends, I won't hold back during the examination. I hope neither of you will go easy on me either."
Ren gave a calm nod.
"I wouldn't insult you by doing that."
Rin smiled faintly. There was warmth in her expression, but determination burned beneath it.
Before long, the students began separating into their assigned groups. Several defenders gathered together near Ren, whispering urgently as they attempted to create a strategy.
One boy raised his hand as though he had just devised a plan worthy of the Nara clan.
"I have an idea," he announced. "Fifteen minutes is a long time. If we defend the platform from the beginning, the attackers will gradually wear us down. So we should abandon it immediately."
The other students stared at him.
He mistook their silence for admiration and continued eagerly.
"We let the attackers take the platform without resistance. Once they believe they've already won, they'll become arrogant. An arrogant army is destined to lose, so we launch our counterattack at the very end!"
One of the defenders nodded thoughtfully.
"That's brilliant, but it can be improved," he said. "What if we all use the Transformation Technique to become the Hokage?"
The first boy's eyes lit up.
"Explain."
"If the attackers strike us, they'll be disrespecting the Hokage. But if they refuse to strike us, they'll automatically lose. Either way, victory belongs to us!"
The two boys looked around proudly, clearly expecting praise for their strategic genius.
Ren stared at them in silence.
He had known that Konoha produced many extraordinary shinobi. He had not realized it was equally capable of producing extraordinary idiots.
If he continued listening, he feared his intelligence might suffer permanent damage.
Leaving the self-proclaimed strategists to refine their unbeatable plan, Ren carefully examined both teams.
The imbalance was immediately obvious.
The attacking side possessed Asuma Sarutobi, Hyūga Homon, Might Guy, and Nara Shinen. Each represented a different kind of threat.
Asuma was the Third Hokage's son. Although he was still young and had yet to develop the combat style he would use as an adult, his chakra reserves and foundations were already superior to those of most academy students.
Homon possessed the Byakugan and had been trained in the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist. His previous defeat had undoubtedly wounded his pride, meaning he would be especially determined to settle the score with Ren.
Might Guy was easily the most dangerous taijutsu fighter among the students. His ninjutsu and written scores might have been unimpressive, but in close combat, few people in their year could withstand him.
Then there was Nara Shinen.
Shinen's intelligence made him dangerous in an entirely different way. In nearly every written examination, Ren ranked first while Shinen took second. Although his tactical ability had not yet reached the terrifying level associated with experienced Nara shinobi, he was more than capable of organizing academy students into an effective formation.
Their attacking side possessed strength, perception, speed, and strategy.
The defending side was far less impressive.
Obito had the Uchiha name, but his Sharingan had not awakened. Kurenai possessed considerable talent in genjutsu, yet she had not developed enough offensive power to control a large battlefield. Ebisu was intelligent and disciplined but lacked overwhelming strength. Tonbo Tobitake and Mizuki were both competent by academy standards, though neither could match the attackers' strongest fighters.
Ren slowly looked across his teammates.
After examining every face, he reached an unpleasant conclusion.
He was the pillar holding the defending team together.
Someone had clearly attempted to balance the groups by placing most of the strongest students on one side and Ren on the other. Perhaps this was because he had ranked first in the previous assessment. Perhaps the instructors wanted to test whether he could lead weaker teammates against superior opposition.
Either way, the result was the same.
If Ren fell, the defending side would collapse.
He abandoned any thought of relying on a complicated team strategy. Most of these students lacked the coordination to carry one out, and there was no time to train them.
Instead, Ren focused on the attackers who mattered most.
Asuma and Homon would almost certainly target him. Homon wanted revenge for his earlier defeat, while Asuma would naturally attempt to eliminate the strongest defender. Depending on Shinen's strategy, they might even attack together.
Ren felt his heartbeat begin to quicken.
A battle against two clan heirs would be dangerous—but it would also provide the perfect opportunity to measure his progress.
He wanted to discover how his current strength compared with the advantages provided by elite bloodlines and clan training.
More importantly, he wanted Hiruzen to see the result.
Soon, Oki-sensei and Himura-sensei led the two teams toward different entrances around the field.
The defending side climbed the earthen slope and occupied the raised platform. From the top, Ren could observe most of the surrounding terrain.
Trees bordered the western side. Several stone walls and training posts provided cover to the east, while shallow trenches cut through the southern approach. The northern path was wider and more direct but left attackers exposed.
Around the perimeter, members of the attacking team disappeared into separate positions.
Asuma crouched behind a stone barrier, his eyes fixed on the platform. Homon stood near two other students at the edge of the trees. Guy did not bother hiding at all; he bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet, waiting for permission to charge.
Nara Shinen remained farther back.
Unlike everyone else, he was not looking at the platform.
He was watching Ren.
For several seconds, the entire training ground became unnaturally quiet. The defenders tightened their grips on kunai, while the attackers waited in tense anticipation.
Kakashi raised one hand.
The whistle pierced the silence.
"The examination begins!"
Guy moved before Kakashi's final word had finished echoing across the field.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
His feet struck the ground with explosive force. Dust erupted behind him as he crossed dozens of meters in seconds, charging directly toward the platform without hesitation.
A defender near the edge barely had time to raise his arms.
Guy planted one foot against the earthen slope and launched himself upward. His body rotated in midair, generating terrifying momentum as his leg swept toward the student's chest.
The kick landed with a heavy impact.
The defender was torn from the ground and hurled backward, crashing across the platform before rolling to a stop.
Panic spread through the defensive line.
Before anyone could reorganize, another voice rang out from below.
"Byakugan!"
Veins bulged around Homon's pale eyes as his vision expanded across the battlefield. Accompanied by two other attackers, he surged up the opposite side of the platform.
His gaze locked onto Ren.
So, the Hyūga wanted him from the beginning.
Ren's eyes sharpened as the battlefield split into two immediate threats. Guy was tearing through the defenders on the left, while Homon and his allies were approaching from the right.
"Obito, you deal with Might Guy!" Ren ordered.
Obito spun toward him in disbelief.
"What? Me?"
His first instinct was clearly to argue, but there was no time. Guy had already recovered from his opening kick and was accelerating toward the next defender.
Kurenai drew a kunai without hesitation.
"I'll stop him!"
She rushed forward before Obito could respond, moving directly into Guy's path.
Obito's face changed.
"Kurenai, wait!"
He chased after her, leaving Ren to face the other side of the platform.
By then, Homon and his two companions had already reached the top.
The Hyūga heir lowered his body into the opening stance of the Gentle Fist. Resentment smoldered in his pale eyes, but there was no carelessness in his posture.
He had learned from his previous defeat.
Behind him, the other two attackers spread apart, moving to surround Ren from both sides.
Three opponents.
No escape route.
Above the academy, the two distant figures on the rooftop continued watching.
Ren slowly reached toward his ninja-tool pouch, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
If Homon believed three attackers would be enough to defeat him, Ren was about to teach him the same lesson twice.